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The writing's on the bone: 'Allah meat' astounds Nigerians
Diners have been flocking to a restaurant in northern Nigeria to see pieces of meat which the owner says are inscribed with the name of Allah.
What looks like the Arabic word for God and the name of the prophet Muhammad were discovered in pieces of beef by a diner in Birnin Kebbi.
He was about to eat it, when he suddenly noticed the words in the gristle, the restaurant owner said. A search of the kitchen's meat revealed three more pieces which bore the names. The meat was boiled and then fried before being served, owner Kabiru Haliru told newspaper Weekly Trust.
"When the writings were discovered there were some Islamic scholars who come and eat here and they all commented that it was a sign to show that Islam is the only true religion for mankind," he said.
The restaurant has kept the pieces of meat for visitors to see.
Thousands of people have already gone to the restaurant to see them since they were discovered last week.
A vet told the newspaper the words "defied scientific explanation".
"Supposing only one piece of meat was found then it would be suspicious, but given the circumstances there is no explanation," Dr Yakubu Dominic said.
Yum yum. Last week's meat for restaurant visitors to pore over before they eat (I hope) slightly fresher dishes from the restaurant. It's enough to make you hungry! Did you ever find Jesus's face inscribed on your toast? Would you bite his halo'd head off? When I was seven I found 'Satan' spelled out in my Alphabetti Spaghetti but I suppose it doesn't count.
Diners have been flocking to a restaurant in northern Nigeria to see pieces of meat which the owner says are inscribed with the name o... more -
A.L.A. (African Living Abroad)
Unique Aritiste, Wunmi, Afro beat Punk Rocker talks about her new album A.L.A. (Africans Living Abroad) while shooting the videos "Crossover" and "Keep it Rocking" Unique Aritiste, Wunmi, Afro beat Punk Rocker talks about her new album A.L.A. (Africans Living Abroad) while shooting the videos "Cro... more
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75-year-old vows not to quit Indian hemp trade
A 75-YEAR-old retired civil servant in Niger State, Idris Haruna who is now into Indian hemp business has vowed never to quit the illicit trade describing it as “very lucrative”
He said he went into the business to make ends meet after his retirement instead of begging for alms.
The octogenarian who is now in Police net said life became very miserable for him shortly after his retirement as a security guard in one of the State Ministries when he was introduced into the business by a hemp dealer.
“The dealer made the business easier for me by introducing me to some customers and after trying it twice, I discovered that the business is very sweet and with cool money coming out of it,” the octogenarian remarked.
Mallam Haruna said the dealer also facilitated the business by giving him the consignments on credit as a take off saying, "within few days, I have made a lot of money thereby making me to forget my former miserable life style”
Looking unperturbed, the suspect accused the police of “betraying” him as business in partner pointing out that, “those who arrested me (police) also patronize me and I am surprised that they are the same people that have arrested me.”
“Most of them patronize me in the night and when they came on the day of my arrest which was also in the night, I was happy because I thought they came for the usual business not knowing that they came to arrest me,” the octogenarian further opened up.
The state Police spokesmen, ASP Richard Adamu Oguche who confirmed the story said the case has been transferred to the NDLEA in Minna after police investigation. A 75-YEAR-old retired civil servant in Niger State, Idris Haruna who is now into Indian hemp business has vowed never to quit the illi... more -
Rebels in the pipeline: Britain training counter-insurgent army
"Gordon Brown will offer British help to the Nigerian government – to fight rebels in the oil-producing Niger delta – at a meeting in London next week with President Umaru Yar'Adua, Downing Street said.
The prospect of British intervention in the delta conflict has prompted the end of a ceasefire in the region and drawn accusations of neo-colonialism from rebel groups. They also accuse the Nigerian government of illegal actions.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the focus will be on providing training for the Nigerian military. He said: "Oil supply from Nigeria has been undermined by insecurity in the Niger delta. This is bad for the local population, bad for workers, bad for the Nigerian government and the stability of the whole region. The President of Nigeria is visiting London next week and the Prime Minister will have an opportunity to discuss these issues with him then."
Mr Brown's statement on Wednesday that Britain stood "ready to give help to the Nigerians to deal with the lawlessness that exists in this area and to achieve levels of production that Nigeria is capable of", led to a rebel group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) to say it will call off its ceasefire today."
By Kim Sengupta "Gordon Brown will offer British help to the Nigerian government – to fight rebels in the oil-producing Niger delta – at a meeting in ... more -
Does unrest in Nigeria's oil heartland matter?
Ahead of the UK Prime Minister's meeting with the Nigerian leader, Reuters takes on the question: WHY IS THE DELTA IMPORTANT?
We tried to address this question last year with our piece, "Rebels in the Pipeline". Nigeria is the most important oil producer in a region that is expected to supply an increasing percentage of our energy needs. But 50 years of oil production has translated into very little for the people of Nigeria. I think what we're seeing with how all the unrest there is contributing to higher gas prices here demonstrates with sobering clarity how corruption, poverty and oppression in one country can have resounding effects in this increasingly interconnected world.
Ahead of the UK Prime Minister's meeting with the Nigerian leader, Reuters takes on the question: WHY IS THE DELTA IMPORTANT? ... more -
Nigerian football conmen exposed
Young African Footballers are being conned out of thousands of pounds by fraudsters pretending to be agents from top UK clubs.
The conmen simply pocket the money and disappear after duping the victims into sending money in the false belief that they were paying official registration fees to have a trial to play for their favourite English Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea.
Young African Footballers are being conned out of thousands of pounds by fraudsters pretending to be agents from top UK clubs. ... more -
Africa: the next victim in our quest for cheap oil?
Whether or not we have fully arrived at peak oil can be left to the nitpickers and bean counters to decide. What we know for sure is that the cost of black gold has exponentially risen in just a few short years, and the global economy it is built upon is currently straddling a razor waiting for the inevitable slice. That final cut may come from Nigeria, where all the major oil companies have done business, dirty and otherwise, for the last five decades, degrading the environment and depressing the general population along the way.
That disturbing feedback loop is the subject of the new book Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, which juxtaposes the arresting graphics of award-winning photojournalist Ed Kashi with the geopolitical insights of UC Berkeley professor Michael Watts to present Africa's most populous nation as a possible epicenter for the full-blown resource wars to come. [You can watch a short multimedia presentation of Kashi's photographs on the right-hand side of this page.]
They are wars that are already well under way. In mid-June, a Shell facility was attacked by local militants, disrupting production and sending the already sky-high price of oil to further heights before coming back online a week later. Attacks like those have increased in frequency, as Nigerian factions have fought for control of the nation's lucrative petroleum resources, which are the largest in Africa.
The problem, especially as indigenous populations caught between Nigeria's prosperous rich and their oil industry's environmental devastation see it, is that viable land and resources have been wasted on a handful while the majority of the country falls into further disrepair and depression. From natural gas flares and oil spills to the destruction of native plants, animal species and other salable commodities, Nigeria's oil industry has wreaked havoc across the land and its people.
And it's only getting worse. And if you think it doesn't affect America, think again.
"The United States has been concerned with its own post-1945 global oil strategy, involving Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela," Watts explains in our interview below. "But this strategy has fallen apart, and now Africa plays a key role at a time when oil is beyond $100 a barrel."
It is a role that will only expand, as increasing demand, ass-backward environmental policy and diminishing resources send nations and multinationals scattering for control of what's left of Earth's black gold. America's disastrous war in Iraq is one example of this panic at work. President Bush's 2006 plan to establish the United States African Command (AFRICOM), an ominous Department of Defense program to network operations and combatant command across the African continent, is another such example, especially since not one African country has come forward to offer America permission to build a base on its territory. For now, AFRICOM is on the outside looking in on Africa from a base in Germany, an arrangement that can be seen both as a geopolitical reality and as a suitable metaphor for U.S.-African relations throughout history.
But the United States won't be outside Africa for long, as climate crisis and peak oil take further hold. And when it comes calling, it will most likely call on Nigeria first.
---click the link to read an interview with the author--- Whether or not we have fully arrived at peak oil can be left to the nitpickers and bean counters to decide. What we know for sure is t... more -
An African Oil War?
Rebels in the Niger Delta called off a self-imposed ceasefire today in response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's comment that the UK stands ready to provide backing to Nigerian security forces to battle lawlessness in the oil rich region.
The Movement for the Emanicapation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued a "stern warning" to Mr Brown in an emailed statement: "Should Gordon Brown make good his threat to support this criminality for the sake of oil, UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequences."
The Nigerian press received the British offer as a declaration of war against rebel groups. The Daily Champion newspaper ran the headline "Battle Line! UK to Declare War on Delta Militants".
The renewed tensions in the delta helped push oil to another record high.
See full article here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/browns-a...
Rebels in the Niger Delta called off a self-imposed ceasefire today in response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's comment that ... more -
Everton footballer's brother kidnapped
The older brother of star footballer Joseph Yobo was seized by gunmen at a hotel in his native Nigeria yesterday morning. No group has yet claimed responsibility and no ransom has been demanded. Kidnappings are frequent in the oil-rich but poverty-stricken Niger Delta region of Nigeria, and usually end with a ransom payment.
Everton football club has said it would do all it could to help Joseph Yobo, who is on holiday in Lagos. The older brother of star footballer Joseph Yobo was seized by gunmen at a hotel in his native Nigeria yesterday morning. No group ha... more -
Nigeria to immunise 4.6 million children against polio
"A Type 1 polio outbreak is right now raging in northern Nigeria. Of every 10 children paralysed by the Type 1 polio virus this year, eight are in Nigeria," Margaret Chan, WHO director-general told a Rotary conference in California last month. "A Type 1 polio outbreak is right now raging in northern Nigeria. Of every 10 children paralysed by the Type 1 polio virus this year, ... more
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Indonesia executes 2 Nigerian drug smugglers to mark UN anti-drug day
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesia executed two Nigerians convicted of smuggling illegal drugs, with officials saying Friday that the executions were timed to mark the U.N. anti-drugs day.
Samuel Okoye, 37, and Hansen Nwaolisa, 40, were arrested at Jakarta's international airport in 2001, each carrying more than 6.5 pounds (three kilograms) of heroin. They had been held at a high-security prison on Nusakambangan island since their conviction.
"We have carried out the sentence, according to the court's decision," said local prosecutor Muhamad Yamin.
The executions by firing squad took place overnight, marking the international anti-drugs day on Thursday, Indonesia's anti-narcotics agency said.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,How to spice a UN action day. JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesia executed two Nigerians convicted of smuggling illegal drugs, with officials saying Friday that the execu... more -
Nigerian militants call ceasefire
The militant group behind some of the worst attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure and the kidnap of oil workers has announced a ceasefire.
The group, the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it followed an appeal made by elders in the region to give peace and dialogue another chance.
It said that there would be no more attacks from midnight on Tuesday until further notice.
Only last week the group launched the first attack on an offshore oil site.
Nigeria's president ordered tighter security in the Delta after the attack on the Shell installation at Bonga, 120km (75 miles) out to sea, which cut Nigerian production by 10%.
It was the first time militants had struck at Nigeria's hugely valuable offshore oil fields, far out to sea, which had previously been considered relatively safe from attack.
Also, over the weekend, the US oil giant Chevron has halted onshore oil production at its Escravos oilfield after an attack on a pipeline.
The Nigerian military said militants blew up the Niger Delta pipeline, but Mend said it had been contacted by "youths" who had said they were behind the attack.
Arms rife
Disruptions to Nigerian output caused by militant attacks have been a significant driver in the soaring worldwide price of oil.
The unilateral ceasefire, announced by Mend in an email to media outlets on Sunday, marked a sudden U-turn for the group, which earlier in the weekend had warned all foreign oil workers to leave the Niger Delta.
With the government planning to hold a major summit of Niger Delta leaders and more money expected to flow to the Niger Delta, perhaps the armed groups there feel it is a good time to show how relevant they are to any chance of peace, says the BBC's Alex Last in Lagos.
Nigeria's military is ill-equipped, while arms are proliferating in Nigeria's oil producing region, our correspondent says.
Mend says it wants to secure more autonomy and control over resources for the Niger Delta, but the conflict now is a complex web involving armed gangs, political corruption and criminal rackets, he says. The militant group behind some of the worst attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure and the kidnap of oil workers has announced a ceas... more -
Oil Wars: Nigerian Militants Vow More Attacks
What do a small group of rebels in southern Nigeria have to do with your daily commute?
Oil analysts have been pointing to the growing violence in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta for a while now, but rarely with the frequency that they have over the last few weeks. In that time, militants have pulled-off about a half-dozen attacks on oil pipelines and facilities. With world oil supplies already stretched, Africa's largest producer -- and the US's fifth largest supplier -- has been forced to cut production. And if the rebels themselves are to be believed, the situation may only get worse. What do a small group of rebels in southern Nigeria have to do with your daily commute? ... more -
Nigeria power shortage to persist
The only explanation for this problem seems to be unbelievable incompetence!
"Nigeria will not be able to generate enough electricity for its population until at least 2015, President Umaru Yar'Adua has said. Speaking live on television, the president answered critics who said he had been slow to address the problem.
Nigeria is the eighth largest exporter of oil but cannot generate enough electricity to meet the needs of its 140 million-strong population. Before his election, President Yar'Adua promised to take swift action on power. But three finished gas-fuelled power stations are unable to generate electricity because Nigeria has sold all its gas for export, the president said. These deals with international oil companies would have to be renegotiated over seven years, he added.
"It is only now that the nation realises the critical importance of gas to the national economy," the president said.
During the televised press conference with a select group of journalists he declared his intention to spend some of Nigeria's savings from oil earnings on repairing the nation's power stations and transmission grid. Under the previous administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, the government-run power company was split up so parts of it could be sold.Power stations are rotting away unfinished, and imported generator turbines are still in ports unable to be moved years after they were delivered, a parliamentary investigation found in March.
There was no way investors could be attracted to the industry as it was he said.
"Today, still, most of the companies are still publicly owned," President Yar'Adua said. "Emergency legislation" will be needed to allow the government to spend some of the billions of dollars in oil revenue it has saved in the central bank on power, he said.
For every barrel of oil sold $59 goes to the national budget. The rest is held in an account which has now swelled to $12 billion. By law this has to be shared among the state governments". The only explanation for this problem seems to be unbelievable incompetence! ... more -
Nigerian militants to guard oil pipelines in Niger Delta
The president of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua has taken steps to indoctrinate the abundance of militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region into a defence scheme for the pipelines in the area.
The Defence Minister Alhaji Yayale Ahmed stated to the House of Representatives Committee that the federal government in conjunction with local and state levels have cultivated plans of “constructive engagement " meaning the forming of limited liability companies for the legitimate employ of the militants.
The area of the Niger Delta has suffered from unrest for many years due to the rich wealth in resources of the region and its exploitation paralleled with the poverty of the population in the region and the damage to the environment caused that effect all life in the area. MarianaVanZeller's pod will explain a lot about the situation: http://current.com/items/77541711_rebels_in_the_pipelin....
MEND have not stated if they will be involved with this “constructive engagement “scheme but their leader in negotiations has recently given his faith to peace in negotiations with the
Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee chairman Chief James Jeftha. There has been criticism of “constructive engagement " in the Nigerian and international communities, as questions such as; whose arming them, who do they answer to, how do you know they won’t continue hostile actions inside installations ? More constructive questions consist of; why not focus efforts on the Nigerian Local Content Policy to stop sucking up money and actually be applied to areas in need of it. Abubakar Atiku Nuhu-Koko addresses these issues in the linked article, here is a taste:
“The truth of the matter is that offering security jobs to the militants will not solve the problems at hand in the Niger Delta. A holistic approach, which requires integrating and domesticating the largely foreign-controlled “enclave” oil and gas economy, is what, is desirable. The militant youths need education, quality of life that comes with productive employment, training opportunities and an environment free from oil and gas related pollution etc.”
The president of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua has taken steps to indoctrinate the abundance of militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region ... more -
The UFC has nothing on these guys
Young Hausa men in northern Nigeria seek thrill, recognition, and extra cash in a local form of martial arts known as "dambe". Participating pugilists bind the hand and wrist of one arm with rope and proceed to pummel each other with punches and round-house kicks. Traditionally, the sport is practiced by farmers and butchers during harvest and slaughter months. Some speculate that dambe is directly related to ancient Egyptian boxing due to the one wrapped arm and stance of the fighters. Young Hausa men in northern Nigeria seek thrill, recognition, and extra cash in a local form of martial arts known as "dambe". Parti... more
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Children killed in Nigeria blast
"At least 100 people, many of them children, have been killed in an oil pipeline explosion in the Nigerian city of Lagos, the local Red Cross says.
The blast tore through Ijegun suburb, engulfing schools and homes after a bulldozer burst the pipeline.
Officials at the scene said many died after being overcome by smoke; others were killed in a stampede to escape. One rescue worker told the BBC a local tracing centre had been formed to find missing relatives.
"People are looking for family members. Parents are looking for children," he said, as firefighters fought the blaze with sand and water.
Discarded school bags and sandals littered a school whose pupils tried to flee. Witnesses said the ground around the explosion was so hot that shoes melted.
One local resident, injured in the fire, described the blast.
"I was just doing sewing work when I saw everything just got exploded. I just picked up my baby and started running - it was the heat," she told the BBC's Network Africa programme". "At least 100 people, many of them children, have been killed in an oil pipeline explosion in the Nigerian city of Lagos, the local Re... more -
Niger-delta militants highjack oil vessel
Parallel to Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua gesture of good faith by offering to tackle the problems in the delta (suggesting reforms to the economy and petroleum sector), a Chevron Corp. oil vessel was highjacked off the coast of Port Harcourt on tuesday night. Eleven men were captured, two of which were foreign (Ukrainian and Portuguese) along with the vessel, however no group has claimed the action. MEND (Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta) has claimed it had nothing to do with the incident. Hopefully this incident wont effect President Yar'Adua's attempt to sympathise with the Niger delta's problems. Parallel to Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua gesture of good faith by offering to tackle the problems in the delta (suggesting reform... more
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100+ dead In Lagos pipeline fire
At least 100 people have been killed by an explosion on an oil pipeline in a northern suburb of Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city, Red Cross officials say.
According to the humanitarian group, the explosion was caused by road construction machinery piercing a pipe carrying refined fuel through a village on the outskirts of Lagos on Thursday.
Sule Maicube, the Red Cross official, told Al Jazeera that the flames from the fire spread through nearby homes and a school.
He said: "At least 20 people have now been taken to hospital."
"The fire occurred in a residential area, and it is still continuing. The [surrounding] buildings are in flames."
The fire has raged for at least seven hours.
Sarah Simpson, a journalist speaking from Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, said that very little has changed regarding the country's attempts to avoid disasters that can occur around oil pipelines.
She said: "Investment and money has not been put into making these pipelines safer."
Witnesses said local people were trying to help the fire service to put out the blaze, using sand and water.
Pipeline fires are common in Nigeria. More than 400 people died in two pipeline explosions in Lagos in 2006, and at least 40 died in December last year.
Some fires are started when residents attempt to take oil from damaged or sabotaged pipelines. At least 100 people have been killed by an explosion on an oil pipeline in a northern suburb of Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city, Red Cro... more -
Nigeria pipeline explosion kills 100
"At least 100 people have been killed in an oil pipeline explosion in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, the local Red Cross says. The explosion tore through the Ijegun suburb, engulfing schools and homes after a bulldozer burst the pipeline."
Nigeria is one of the world's major oil producers and pipelines cut through many residential areas, both in cities such as Lagos and oil-producing areas.
"At least 100 people have been killed in an oil pipeline explosion in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, the local Red Cross says. Th... more
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